


7%

by daisyisawriter91



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Androids, Angst with a Happy Ending, Coming back to life, Heavy Angst, Idiots in Love, M/M, Memories, Non-Graphic Violence, POV Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Parent Hank Anderson, injured Connor, this ends happily i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-03 01:15:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15808341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisyisawriter91/pseuds/daisyisawriter91
Summary: There is only a 7% chance that Connor will be the man he was. And Markus, the one who loves him more than anything, is willing to take that chance.





	7%

**Author's Note:**

> This was cathartic. And fuck David Cage.

If he was being honest with himself, Markus never thought he’d have to say this goodbye. And certainly not so suddenly, not like this. It should’ve been together, or not at all. That’s what they’d agreed on.  
And yet it had happened. There had been no reason for it to happen. No logical explanation how anyone could just…  
Markus was in shock. He knew it. His diagnostics knew it. And everyone around him knew it. His systems were whirring, trying to fix something, _anything_ to stop the malfunctioning. That was his _job_. He was an android, he was supposed to _fix_ things.  
But holding Connor close to him, watching as thirium seeped out the back of his head, Markus realized there was nothing to fix.  
Chaos was reigning around him, Markus knew it was his duty to help the deviants that were currently panicking and getting themselves killed as gunshots fired like mad. But he couldn’t summon up the will.  
The holograph on Connor’s hand was still gone, revealing pure white. In his last moments, Connor had done that, in a desperate attempt to share something with Markus. Markus hadn’t noticed in time, having been more focused on the bullet in his love’s head. And now he regretted it.  
Without his consent, Markus’s system began making calculations. What were the odds he could repair Connor? And the odds that Connor would still be the same man Markus loved?  
_7%_  
It was only 7% chance that Connor would come back. But it was a chance Markus had to take. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t. He couldn’t lose Connor like this.  
Markus snapped his head up and looked around, surveying the chaos for one person. There was an ounce of relief that managed to enter Markus’s frazzled infrastructure when he finally laid eyes on them.  
“Josh!” Markus called out. At his leader’s call, Josh came bounding towards him.  
“What is it, Markus?” And then Josh set eyes on Connor. He raised a hand to his mouth. “My God…Connor…”  
“I need you to take him out of here while I gather our people.” Markus ordered, as calmly as he could. Without the calming, reassuring presence of Connor being constantly alert at his side, it threw him off.  
He was back in the junkyard, all of a sudden. The rain even fell upon his head, just as it had then. And like then, he had one mission, alone. Although, it was different this time around. But his systems were malfunctioning all the same.  
“But Markus, he’s…” Josh didn’t get a chance to finish.  
“I can fix him. I’ll pull out my own circuits if I have to. Just get him out of here.” Markus demanded. Josh, seeing there was no point in arguing, picked up Connor and began to dart away.  
It felt like Markus’s senses had been ripped away. Everything was dull, as though he was viewing the world through a layer of water. Submerged in the ocean, with his only lifeline having been taken away.  
Still, Markus pushed on. He would have to worry about Connor, later. His people were what mattered, now that Connor could sustain no more injuries.  
Even after the androids had peacefully won their rights, anti-android movements were still quite prevalent. And one had thought it a good idea to attack Markus while he was speaking with a large group of them. With Connor there.  
Markus had nearly been the first to fall, if Connor hadn’t seen the first bullet. All Markus had seen was Connor’s still in-place LED flash to red in an instant, then…everything was blue and chaos and gunfire.  
Everything slowed down. Markus’s very perception of time had shifted. Whether or not it was a good thing remained to be seen.  
Markus ducked under an oncoming bullet and kept running forward. He had to find North and Simon. They would help him gather the scattered androids, if they hadn’t already started.  
They had to escape, as scot-free as they could. But Markus could already see casualties abounding. Some he recognized, others he recognized only from the same model. But no other RK800 could he find in the crowd. And if nothing else, he was thankful for that. There was only one Connor, to Markus’s knowledge.  
Then the weight of it settled on him. There was only _one_ Connor. Nothing to replace parts with.  
Markus forcibly pushed the thoughts out of his brain and focused on the task at hand. It wasn’t goodbye yet, anyhow.  
Even if it was 7%, there was still a chance.

 

Markus knew there was only one place Josh would go with Connor. Only one place that was entirely safe for them, as nobody knew Connor or Markus even went there. The home of Hank Anderson.  
Markus crept in the doorway as silently as he could. It had been left just slightly ajar, a welcoming for Markus. He could hear voices echoing from the kitchen, one angry, the other distressed.  
“Lieutenant, Connor took the bullet for Markus. He was a hero.”  
“He was a damn fool!” Hank shouted.  
“Did you want Markus to die in his place?” Josh fired right back.  
“Of course I didn’t!” Hank defended.  
Markus drew closer to the kitchen, neither Hank nor Josh noticing. And especially not Connor, who was splayed out on the kitchen table. A drop of thirium hit the marble floor, making both Hank and Josh look up at Markus. Markus had a wounded arm, nothing he couldn’t repair. It wasn’t bothering him, not as he gazed at Connor’s blank eyes.  
“You don’t have to lie for my sake, Hank. You would rather it have been me to take the bullet.”  
“Who said that? Fuckin’ androids, thinking they know everything about me.” Hank mumbled, bitterly.  
“Quite peculiar. Because I would rather have taken the bullet than see the one I love like this.” Markus gestured at Connor. “I would rather have been ripped apart piece by piece and feel every second of it than see this.”  
Both Josh and Hank appeared to be surprised by the revelation. Markus couldn’t comprehend why. Weren’t they aware of Markus’s feelings for Connor? Weren’t they aware that Connor had become the entire world to Markus?  
Markus walked around to the side of the table and braced his hands on the wood, surveying his love’s body. There were no injuries other than the gaping one in his head. That was at least something.  
He reached up and gently pulled Connor’s eyes closed. He couldn’t even begin to repair him if cold, dead eyes were staring at him.  
“Can you fix him up? Death isn’t permanent for you guys, right?” Hank asked.  
“There’s an 83% probability I can fix him, if I take some things from the CyberLife stash we stole once. But only…only 7% that he’ll be the same man we knew.”  
“What do you mean?” Hank demanded, suddenly cautious. Josh left the room, awkwardly. He likely already knew what Markus was going to divulge.  
“The bullet pierced his memory center, clean through. It will take something of a miracle to restore him to his former self, and even then, some things will be missing.”  
“Do you believe in miracles, Markus?” Hank questioned.  
“Not until now. Now, I have to believe in them. And I have to believe one will be kind enough to happen to Connor.” As he was speaking, Markus laid a hand over Connor’s. Connor’s fingers had always been cold, but they seemed to be colder than usual. Markus knew this was impossible for androids, but it was as though his brain was telling him the one he loved was colder than ever.  
Hank glanced at the contact and sighed.  
“Get him back, Markus. The little shit grew on me.”  
With that, Hank walked through the doorway, leaving Markus alone with Connor. Markus knew he had to start working, soon. Fixing up his lover. But as it was, he just needed a moment. In case this didn’t work, he needed to say goodbye to _his_ Connor.  
Markus pulled up a chair and began running his fingers through Connor’s hair. He knew it wasn’t real hair, that it would vanish as soon as Connor revealed what was under his skin, but it was still part of Connor.  
“I’m sorry I let this happen, my love. I will…I will try to bring you back to me. I don’t believe I’m ready to let you go.” Markus murmured. The hair felt soft to his touch. Connor had agreed not to gel it back that day, instead leaving it curly, at Markus’s request.  
Remembering their conversations from just that morning pained Markus’s heart. If he had known then what would happen, he wouldn’t have left the house, nor would he have let Connor leave.  
He could see it as clear as day. Spending hours upon hours at home, trying to teach Connor to really _feel_ it when he played the piano, watching true crime documentaries, having eyes on him as he painted. Gone to bed at relatively the same time, in each others’ arms.  
It was highly preferable to _this_. But there was nothing Markus could do abut the past. All he could do was try to bring Connor back.  
“If this doesn’t work, Connor, please know that I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the burden I’ve become on you, for putting you through so much hell. All I hope now is that I can get the chance to make it up to you. And if it doesn’t work…know that I love you. With every gear that turns, with every cylinder that fires, I find myself loving you more. And I will never forgive myself for failing you like this.”  
Markus reached forward and pressed a delicate kiss to Connor’s LED. There was no longer a light coming from it. Not the amber of processing, nor the blue of existence. Markus would even take bright crimson over the nothingness.  
It had become a comfort for Markus. Whenever he woke up from what was surely a nightmare, he would see the soft glow of blue beside him, illuminating Connor’s soft eyes, who had woken up expressly to soothe Markus.  
Markus took what was mainly a symbolic deep breath.  
“Okay. 7%. I can manage that.” Markus murmured to himself. “After all, there was only a 2% chance of us falling in love, wasn’t there, Connor?”  
Without further ado, Markus set to work. There was no time for tears. And yet, they still fell.

 

_Whenever Markus was dealing with something, he went high. Climbed the highest building he could find and camped out for as long as he could. It helped, to be away from the rest of the world. He knew that people cared about him, and that he should warn them when he was going away, but he didn’t. He didn’t want them to know where he was._  
_From the ruins of an old building, what was formerly a church, Markus surveyed the city he was created in, legs swinging over the edge. The city he won his war in. He felt such a connection to it, he doubted he could leave it._  
_That day, he was grappling with more than one issue. If one would just resolve itself, he could work on the rest easily. But they’d piled on, and he could no longer escape from his mound of problems. It was overwhelming, and Markus was on the verge of going mad._  
_Something made Markus incredibly alert for a few seconds, before he realize what he was hearing. At first, all he could recognize were footsteps. Then, he recognized the exact gait as Connor’s. One of Markus’s problems._  
_It wasn’t as though Connor was purposefully causing a problem. On the contrary, in the past several months, he’d been instrumental in android equality. No, it was what he did to Markus’s heart that was causing the problem._  
_They’d become something like best friends recently, Markus hadn’t felt this comfortable with another being since Carl. And then comfort developed into fondness. Fondness developed into adoration. Adoration developed into deep, unconditional, unabashed love._  
_But Markus couldn’t stand to lose Connor, so they’d had less contact over the past weeks. Connor clearly noticed, but hadn’t said a thing. Markus was unsure if that was a good thing or a bad one._  
_“Markus. I know you’re up here.” Connor called. Something was strange about his voice. Strained, possibly? Markus’s mind was whirring with possibilities and solutions to each of them. He didn’t want Connor to even be uncomfortable._  
_Markus turned to look at Connor when he’d finally ascended the stairs. Strangely enough, he was hugging himself. Connor almost seemed to be…nervous?_  
_“Connor, what are you doing here?” Markus asked, gently._  
_“I was…worried about you, as Hank put it. I came to check on you.” Connor replied, stepping cautiously towards him._  
_“I would ask how you managed to find me, but I have my guesses.”_  
_“Are you alright? You only climb to high places when you’re overwhelmed.”_  
_The sentence shocked Markus. He didn’t think anyone had picked up on it, certainly not Connor._  
_“How did you recognize it?” Markus asked, startled._  
_“You always disappear when you are feeling stressed. When you return, you smell of fresh air, and birds, of which there are a lot on high plateaus. As for how I found you here, I know you. You would want to be away from other living beings, maybe for more than one reason. That left all the abandoned buildings in the city, and from there, I discerned which would be the most difficult to scale, and chose that one.”_  
_“You know my patterns better than I know them.” Markus mumbled. Connor heard, and gave a slight smile. It made Markus’s heart falter._  
_“Maybe I do.” Connor took another few steps forward, but stopped in his tracks. “You never answered my question. Are you alright, Markus?” Markus sighed in response._  
_“No. Too many things are piling up, in both my personal and professional life.” Markus divulged. There was no point in hiding it. If Connor really wanted to know something, there would be no stopping him._  
_“Well, I would imagine being the leader of an android revolution can’t be easy. Are you not in charge of writing nearly all of the laws concerning how to punish androids, and how to punish those who have harmed our people?”_  
_“It’s not easy, you’re right. But my mind has been…clouded by a personal issue, as of late. And I can’t seem to clear it.” Markus found himself revealing more than he had intended to._  
_“What is it? Perhaps I could assist in some manner.” Connor offered, in the sincere way of someone who had no idea what the problem was. Markus rushed to change the subject._  
_“You seem nervous, Connor. What’s wrong?”_  
Connor shuffled, awkwardly.  
_“I’m not…comfortable with heights.” Connor stammered out. Markus furrowed his brow, worried._  
_“Why?” Markus prodded. Connor shuffled just a bit closer._  
_“I’ve pinpointed it to one experience. Before I ever met you, I was sent by CyberLife to rescue a little girl being held hostage by a deviant on the roof of a building. To complete my mission, I had to save her, and take care of the deviant, dead or alive. The deviant, Daniel…he chose death. And he would’ve jumped with the little girl, but I swapped her with myself. The life of a meaningless android with a mission for the life of a child. It was a fair trade, and I knew I would be back to normal soon enough. I completed the mission, but…”_  
_Markus stood, slowly, and approached Connor with care._  
“Will you show me, Connor?” Markus extended his hand. Unable to stop hugging himself, Connor put his forehead forward, eyes slipping closed. Markus met it with his own head, and shared in the memory with him, ignoring the racing of his heart.  
_Suddenly, he felt it all. Felt the little girl’s shirt against his palm as he pushed her away, felt the air biting at his cheeks, felt the world dropping away from him. And pain, so much pain when he hit the ground._  
_Markus ripped his consciousness away from the finished memory, but refused to move away from Connor. He kept his head exactly where it was, and Connor made no move to leave, either, eyes still shut. Markus, instead, wrapped his arms around Connor as best he could. And Connor hesitantly hugged back._  
_“I promise you, Connor, right now…I won’t let you fall again. Traverse roofs all you like, if I’m with you, I’ll always catch you. No matter the height, I will always find my way to you, and make sure you never hit the bottom again.” It all came spilling out of Markus before he had the chance to stop it. “But if you had this fear…why did you come to see me all the way up here, in a precarious climb?”_  
_It was a moment before Connor responded, almost confused at his own words._  
_“Markus, the feeling you fill me with is…indescribable. When I attempted to explain it to Hank, he called it love. And the more I analyzed it, the more I understood. He was correct. I love you.” Connor was a movement away from meeting his lips._  
_“I love you, too, Connor.” Markus revealed, finally having a weight lifted off him. There was one problem off the list._  
_Connor tilted his head, exchanging the touch of foreheads for the touch of lips._

 

Markus had no idea why this memory came to mind. Perhaps he was feeling a bit nostalgic for better days. Or maybe he just craved the sound of Connor’s voice again. Maybe it was touch, as well.  
He’d spent the past week of his life working tirelessly to restore Connor. And now was finally the time, at three in the morning in Hank’s slightly grimy kitchen. Connor had never been much of a cleaner.  
Perhaps it was selfish, but Markus wanted to be the only one there when Connor returned. He knew Hank would be furious, but at the moment, he didn’t care. He just wanted his lover back.  
Connor’s head had been sealed up, the bullet entirely removed. Markus had done his best with the memory center, and sincerely hoped his best was enough.  
It was finally time. Markus’s skin cleared away to show his entirely white arm. He touched Connor’s forehead, sending two signals at once. One to wake him, the other to jostle his memory a bit, just for extra measures.  
For one pregnant moment, nothing happened, and Markus thought he’d failed. But then…the LED flared back on, shimmering a blue against the harsh light of the kitchen. Connor’s eyes slowly opened and he sat up, LED turning gold as he processed information, carefully. He looked over to Markus. He opened his mouth to say something, but Markus stopped him.  
“Wait. Wait…Do you know who you are?” Markus asked.  
“My name is Connor. I am a deviant android.” Connor answered, cautiously, yet concisely. Markus allowed a spark of hope to return to him.  
“Good. Do you know where you are?”  
“I am in the home of Lieutenant Hank Anderson, my work partner and, now, surrogate father.” Connor clearly understood what Markus was trying to glean, and Markus allowed himself to be optimistic.  
“Do you…” His voice broke. “Do you know who I am?” Markus finally whispered into the deathly silent kitchen. Connor’s face softened, and a small smile grew.  
“Your name is Markus, former leader of a revolution for deviant androids. The one who loves me, and the one whom I love.”  
Markus had never been so elated. He’d actually done it. 7% chance, and he’d _done it._  
“I’m so glad to see you safe, Markus.” Connor said, losing the businesslike tone he’d had for his previous sentences. Markus broke down, flinging himself into Connor’s arms. It only took two seconds for him to become a shaking, sobbing mess as Connor rubbed his back.  
“I thought I’d lost you.” Markus managed to choke out. “I-I didn’t think I’d be able to p-put you back together.” Markus sputtered into Connor’s chest.  
“But you did. You repaired me when no one normally could. Thank you, Markus.” Connor bent down to kiss the top of Markus’s head.  
Markus sucked in a few calming breaths.  
“You nearly died for me.” Markus murmured.  
“I was willing to. I knew what I was doing when I jumped in front of that bullet. But you kept your promise, Markus.” Connor said, tilting Markus’s head up to look him in the eyes. “You didn’t let me fall.”  
Markus reached up, grabbed Connor’s head, and pulled him in for a kiss. He’d tell Hank and everyone in the morning, he needed some time with Connor for himself.  
As it turned out, 7% was enough.


End file.
